A garage door is a surprisingly complex beast, and if it’s not working, it’s usually because something’s gone wrong. Here are some of the most common problems and some common costs of garage door repairs. Garage Door Remote We all forget about the devices that open our garage doors, but if it’s electronically controlled, check the batteries on the remote. If the door opens easily otherwise (such as from the manually operated switch inside), then it’s likely the garage door remote. If the remote still doesn’t work, you’ll need to replace it, which can cost between $5 and $60 depending on the brand. Garage Door Spring If the actual garage door isn’t opening as it should, the first place to check is the spring. Most garage doors have one or two springs. If it has two springs and one breaks, it may still rise, but it might become stuck at a crucial point. If it has one spring and it breaks, the garage door won’t open at all. The problem with springs is that they have a finite shelf life since metal fatigue inevitably wears a joint into the metal, which eventually snaps. This happens to every garage door at some point. Expect to pay between $30 and $100 for a new garage door spring, depending on the poundage and the quality of the spring. If you have two, the cost of the garage door repair — after labor — can hit between $200 and $300. Garage Door Cable Depending on how your garage door works, you may have a cable connecting the springs (in a torsion spring system)...

What Is the R-Value? R-value is a measurement of heat resistance, which is the extent to which something can reduce the flow of heat. A higher R-value means a slower flow of heat, whereas a lower R-value means a faster flow of heat. As a result, garage doors with higher R-values make better insulators, which can have an enormous effect on the performance of garages. Why Is the R-Value of Your Garage Door So Important? Here are some examples of how a better insulator can benefit a garage: Better insulation means increased comfort because it keeps the garage cooler during summer and warmer during winter. Furthermore, this means lower heating and cooling costs because less power is needed to maintain a comfortable temperature. On a related note, a better-insulated garage means a better-insulated home, because it is easier for heat to flow from room to room, than from the inside to the outside. This is particularly important when the garage is situated beneath a bedroom on the second floor, because poor insulation make the bedroom’s occupant uncomfortable when they want rest and relaxation the most. Poor insulation can let in more than extremes in temperature. For example, people who store tools and machines in their garages should beware of moisture seeping through vulnerabilities in their insulation, which will cause their belongings to rust and otherwise deteriorate at a much faster rate than otherwise possible. Likewise, it is not unknown for the pipes in a garage with poor insulation to freeze solid during winter, which will make it impossible to use, even if they sustain no permanent damage in the...

Garage doors that make too much noise are a serious nuisance, particularly if they will be used during times when other people want peace and quiet on a regular basis. Fortunately, there are a number of common causes for excessive noise, meaning that there are also a number of common solutions to the problem. Here are some common causes as well as their solutions: Lift Cables and Torsion Springs If your garage door is opening and closing with a thud, you should check your lift cables and torsion springs for signs of damage. If there is damage, contact a garage door specialist for professional assistance as soon as possible because both components can be dangerous for people who don’t know how to replace them. Worn-Out Rollers Worn-out rollers that slide instead of rolling in their tracks can create a lot of noise. Once again, you should call in a garage door specialist to get them replaced. There are a wide range of rollers available to you, such as a set of nylon rollers- which can reduce noise- a set of nylon-covered steel rollers- which can provide longer-lasting usefulness by being more resistant to wear and tear. Vibration Sometimes, how a house is built causes the vibrations from the opening and closing of the garage door can be transferred throughout the rest of the structure. The simplest and most straightforward solution is to install vibration isolators between the housing of the door opener and the brackets that hold it to the ceiling. Lubrication A lack of lubrication can increase the friction between moving parts and create more noise in the...

No garage door can be expected to last forever. After a certain point, repairing a garage door becomes more expensive and time-consuming than replacing it, which is a sure sign that it is time to do just that. By choosing the right garage door replacement, you can maximize its value by both extending its expected usefulness and enhancing the appearance of your home. 4 Tips For Getting the Most Value Out of Your Garage Door Replacement Be sure to use these 4 tips for getting the most value out of a garage door replacement: Choose the Right Style For Your Home You want to choose a garage door that is compatible with the rest of your exterior instead of clashing with it, meaning that you want something in a similar style. For example, if you own a Craftsman home, you are going to want something simple and natural-looking rather than something that has been lavished with metal ornamentation. By following this one simple rule, you can enhance your home’s overall appearance by making sure that the whole is more than the sum of its parts. Choose the Right Style For Your Neighborhood Choosing a compatible style is as applicable to the rest of the neighborhood as it is to the rest of the exterior. By considering your surroundings, you can make sure that your garage door will fit into your neighborhood in a seamless manner instead of standing out in a bad way. Manufactured For the Right Climate People living in places that can expect harsh weather on a regular basis should buy garage doors that can withstand them....

Why Is Your Garage Door Specialist So Important? Your garage door is an important part of your home or business. In part, this is because it serves as the main source of protection for your garage, as it improves its insulation, while also keeping its contents safe and sound. However, it should also be noted that a garage door is one of the most noticeable parts of a building’s exterior, and can have an influential on your curb appeal. As a result, you have strong incentive to keep your garage door running in a smooth and uninterrupted manner. However, this is much more complicated than it sounds, because garage doors can be dangerous when handled without the right expertise and experience. By choosing the right specialist, you can count on efficient and effective service in exchange for a reasonable price. In contrast, if you make a wrong choice, you can expect to experience a fair amount of frustration at a minimum. How Do You Know You Can Trust Your Garage Door Specialist? Fortunately, there are ways to tell whether you can trust your garage door specialist or not, with these being prime examples: First and foremost, you should check the specialist’s reputation with its past clients, which will tell you all that you need to know about whether they can live up to their promises or not. If you don’t know anyone who has chosen them in the past, you should still be able to find what you need by consulting review sites and the like. However, if you can find no information whatsoever, you should consider that to...

When owning a home, being able to open and close a door with ease is important to many homeowners. There are times when the door may not open when the button on the remote is hit though. Many different things can cause a door to stop opening and closing on its own. The guide below provides four common reasons why a garage door may stop opening or closing on its own. The Rollers Slip Off of the Tracks There are rollers that are built onto the sides of garage doors. The rollers move on a metal framed track to ensure the door can be lifted and lowered smoothly. If a roller pulls loose from the track, it can cause the door to become stuck. The Remote Is No Longer Working Properly If the remote that operates the garage door opener does not work properly, it will not operate the opener. The batteries in the remotes can sometimes die or leak inside of the remote and cause it to not operate. A homeowner should replace the batteries in the remote, if it is not operable to see if that fixes the problem. The Sensors Are Not Aligned There are small sensors placed on each side of the opening to the garage door. The sensors need to be perfectly aligned so that they can shoot beams across to one another to indicate that there is nothing in the way of the door when it closes. If the sensors are not aligned or something is blocking one or both of them, the door will not shut...